44-603: The Airspeed AS.5 Courier was a British six-seat single-engined light aircraft, designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Airspeed Limited at Portsmouth . It was the first British aircraft fitted with a retractable undercarriage to go into small quantity production. Development work on the Courier started in 1931, envisioned as an advanced aircraft intended primarily for private owner-pilots. Its ambitious design, including its unorthodox undercarriage, attracted
88-572: A consultant for seven years. Airspeed considered making the Fokker D.XVII fighter for Greece, which wanted to buy from Britain for currency reasons. Shute and a Fokker representative "who was well accustomed to methods of business in the Balkans", spent three weeks in Athens but did not close the deal. Shute recommended reading his novel Ruined City to find out what Balkan methods of business were. After
132-493: A lack of part availability in the supply chain. Airspeed relocated from York to Portsmouth in early 1933, necessitating the prototype being moved via road to the company's new facility. Following its reassembly, the prototype Courier G-ABXN performed its maiden flight on 10 April 1933, piloted by George Stainforth of the Royal Aircraft Establishment . The initial flight tests were performed without
176-519: A licensing agreement with Fokker . Shute found Fokker to be "genial, shrewd and helpful" but "already a sick man", and difficult to deal with because "his domestic life was irregular". Fokker worked "at all hours and in strange places". Frequently "his very efficient legal advisor and secretary could not tell us where he was". In 1935, Airspeed signed a manufacturing licensing agreement for the Douglas DC-2 and several Fokker types, with Fokker to be
220-798: A long-range racing version of the Envoy, the AS.8 Viceroy , was developed for the England-Australia MacRobertson Air Race . In August 1934, Airspeed (1934) Limited made a public issue of shares, in association with the Tyneside ship builder Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited . In 1934, six Couriers had been sold to an operating company for a hire purchase deposit of £5 each. Managing director, Nevil Shute , wrote that they could come back to Airspeed and as an "obsolescent type" might not be so easy to sell again. He got
264-609: A novelist as Nevil Shute ) and designer Hessell Tiltman. In his autobiography, Slide Rule: Autobiography of an Engineer , Norway gives an account of the founding of the company and of the processes that led to the development and mass production of the Oxford. He received the Fellowship of the Royal Aeronautical Society for his innovative fitting of a retractable undercarriage to aircraft. The AS.1 Tern ,
308-591: A reputation as unscrupulous for resisting the auditors’ attempt to write their value down on the books; see Airspeed Ltd . In 1936, a gun-running organization, Union Founders' Trust, bought five Couriers with the intention of selling them for use by the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War . However, protests from the non-interference lobby in England stopped delivery. Two Republican sympathisers on
352-406: A reputation as "unscrupulous" for resisting the auditors' attempt to write them down on the books because, with growing talk of war, civil aircraft of any size would "sell immediately". As the six were worth nearly twenty thousand pounds, writing them down to half that would add £10,000 to their loss, making the firm's proposed share issue a very unattractive investment. Shute could see from his office
396-418: A total of 15 production grade Couriers. They were sold to civilian customers who used them for a variety of purposes, including its use as a compact airliner and as an air taxi. Early on, several different firms attempted early airline routes using the aircraft. The Courier was also popular for a time amongst the air racing sector of the market; one aircraft (the first production aircraft) came in sixth place in
440-636: A year, the drift to war, and their Air Ministry contracts, meant that the Dutch could not go to the Airspeed factory or board meetings. All Airspeed aeroplanes under manufacture or development in 1936 were to use a Wolseley radial aero engine of about 250 horsepower (190 kW) which was under development by Nuffield , the Wolseley Scorpio . The project was abandoned in September 1936 after
484-437: Is also used for the first launch of rockets . In the early days of aviation it could be dangerous, because the exact handling characteristics of the aircraft were generally unknown. The maiden flight of a new type is almost invariably flown by a highly experienced test pilot . Maiden flights are usually accompanied by a chase plane , to verify items like altitude , airspeed , and general airworthiness . A maiden flight
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#1732787304286528-580: The Armstrong Siddeley Lynx engine was promoted for domestic use, the Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah radial engine was also used upon most Couriers. While the prototype did not manage Cobham's original deadline of 6 April 1933, he was not ready to perform his long-distance flight for some time either. Following roughly one year of practise to perfect his airborne refuelling technique, Cobham took off from Portsmouth in
572-619: The Douglas Dakota and Handley Page Halifax . The company reverted to the company name of Airspeed Limited on 25 January 1944. Postwar it converted over 150 surplus ex-RAF Oxford aircraft as AS65 Consuls for the commercial market. Airspeed went on to produce the superbly streamlined pressurised twin-engined piston airliner called the AS57 Ambassador . This served successfully for some years with British European Airways as their "Elizabethan Class". In 1951 Airspeed Limited
616-549: The MacRobertson Air Race between Great Britain and Australia during late 1934. Shute wrote in Slide Rule that six Couriers came back to the company when their operating company suspended operations but shortly after that the Spanish Civil War broke out and the machines all sold immediately to various intermediaries for better than the original prices, and all went by devious routes to Spain . He had got
660-412: The Airspeed staff made an abortive attempt to steal G-ACVE . One of them, Arthur Gargett, died when it crashed after taking off at Portsmouth on 20 August 1936; the other, Joseph Smith, was sentenced to four months in prison. Owing to its advanced aerodynamics, two Couriers were used as research aircraft, one by the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) and one by Napier's , who used it for development of
704-594: The Courier were produced and presented by Tiltman to Airspeed's board, who gave their authorisation for further work during November 1931. According to the aviation author H.A. Taylor, the decision to incorporate hydraulically retractable undercarriage upon the aircraft is believed to have been inspired from the similar sized Lockheed Orion which was manually actuated, although Taylor also observes that this attribution may be apocryphal . The co-founder of Airspeed, Nevil Shute repeats this in his autobiography Slide Rule: Autobiography of an Engineer and believed this to be
748-610: The Napier Rapier engine. The RAE aircraft was modified by Airspeed via the addition of high-lift devices and drag inducers, along with modified controls, for testing purposes. At the outbreak of the Second World War, the majority of the surviving Couriers were impressed into the Royal Air Force (RAF), where they were typically used for communications purposes. Only a single Courier survived the conflict, and
792-553: The aircraft as being relatively speedy and advanced amongst its peers, and that it could also be a suitable medium-sized transport in addition to its use by private owners. Airspeed's efforts had coincided with those of another British aviation pioneer, Sir Alan Cobham , who was seeking out a suitable aircraft to carry out a log distance flight to India , which was to flown non-stop by using his early airborne refuelling techniques to demonstrate their practicality. As early as April 1932, talks between Airspeed, Cobham, and Lord Wakefield
836-481: The aircraft were on offer, one tailored for the domestic market and the other intended for overseas use amongst the colonies of the British Empire . The Airspeed Courier was a wooden low-wing cantilever cabin monoplane, incorporating numerous advanced features for the era. One such novelty was its use of a retractable undercarriage ; this was a patented innovation internally developed by Airspeed, to which
880-534: The attention of the British aviation pioneer, Sir Alan Cobham , who saw it as a suitable aircraft for demonstrating his airborne refuelling techniques for long distances flights. Following order confirmation in August 1932, a single prototype was constructed, performing its maiden flight on 10 April 1933. The Courier quickly proved itself to be of sound design and laudable performance, encouraging Airspeed to commence small quantity production months later. The Courier
924-527: The basis of power-to-weight ratio ), so its loss was a major disaster for Airspeed (and Britain). But when he asked Lord Nuffield to retain the engine, Nuffield said "I tell you, Norway ... I sent that I.T.P. thing back to them, and I told them they could put it where the monkey put the nuts!" Shute wrote that the loss of the Wolseley engine due to the over-cautious high civil servants of the Air Ministry
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#1732787304286968-483: The company would subsequently earn revenue from when it was adopted upon other aircraft such as the Airspeed Oxford . It was estimated that the additional weight of the mechanism for retracting and deploying the undercarriage amounted to 30lb, while an increase in cruising speed of 20 MPH was achieved via reduced drag . Actuation was performed by the pilot via a hand-driven hydraulic pump . According to Taylor,
1012-496: The design's attributes by the prototype's relatively smooth testing experience, Airspeed opted to commenced quantity production of the Courier during the summer of 1933. On 4 September 1933, the first production aircraft of an initial batch of three was delivered to the type's appointed distributor Air Exchange and Mart , who promptly used on a demonstration flight to Scotland along with further promotion flights aimed at encouraging sales. By December of that year, two basic versions of
1056-652: The engine's cowling being present, yet the prototype still achieved performance close to that which had been estimated for the finalised design, including its maximum speed of 160 MPH. Suitably impressed by its early performance, later flights were frequently observed by members of rival British aircraft manufacturers. During the test flight programme, the prototype sustained two minor accidents, in April 1933 at Portsmouth and in June 1933 at RAF Martlesham Heath , being quickly repaired after both occasions. Having gained confidence in
1100-640: The expenditure of about two hundred thousand pounds when Lord Nuffield got the fixed price I.T.P. (Intention to Proceed) contract papers (which would have required re-orientation of their offices with an army of chartered accountants) and decided to deal only with the War Office and the Admiralty , not the Air Ministry . According to Nevil Shute Norway it was a very advanced engine (and the price struck Shute as low; much lower than competing engines on
1144-522: The firm moved to Portsmouth where the City Council gave generous terms for a factory building constructed to Airspeed's requirements at the local airport . The first Airspeed Courier was flown from there in 1933, followed by the first of a twin-engined development of the Courier, the Airspeed Envoy , in 1934. Both the Courier and the Envoy were made in small numbers. In the same year,
1188-602: The first British high-performance glider (sailplane), was built to get publicity, and attract more capital, by setting British gliding records. A glider was able to fly in two or three months while the design office and workshop was being set up in half of an empty bus garage, on Piccadilly in York . Shute flew the Tern's first test flight. In 1932, Airspeed produced the AS.4 Ferry , a three-engined, ten-passenger biplane designed specifically for Sir Alan Cobham . In March 1933,
1232-419: The first use of hydraulically retractable landing gear. During this era, while some figures felt that the choice led to an increase in aerodynamic performance as well as aesthetic appeal via its cleaner exterior, there were critics within British aviation circles that doubted the economic value of adopting this approach in light of the more complex mechanisms needed for retraction and deployment. Tiltman envisioned
1276-536: The four hundred workers in the "shop" with families depending on their jobs. In 1936, most of the unsold Couriers and Envoys were sold and found their way to the Spanish Civil War . The demonstration Envoy was sold to the Spanish Nationalists for £6000, paid for in cash (six £1000 Bank of England notes). In 1935, the sole Airspeed Viceroy was nearly sold to Ethiopia for use against Italian forces. In 1934, Shute negotiated with Anthony Fokker for
1320-402: The fuselage comprised a plywood exterior supported by welded tubes. The tailplane featured a cantilever fin, and was adjustable via a screw jack mechanism. The Courier was designed to be customised for both long-distance and short-distance operations; customers were offered two alternative fuel tankage arrangements, one accommodated 28 gallons between a tank in the wing's center section while
1364-424: The other spread a total of 66 gallons across a pair of center section tanks and a header tank. However, the prototype was equipped with an even-greater fuel capacity of 275 gallons, although the aircraft couldn't takeoff with so much fuel due to being significantly overweight, thus this expanding capacity could only ever be fully exploited mid-flight via aerial refuelling . Multiple powerplants were also offered; while
Airspeed Courier - Misplaced Pages Continue
1408-434: The prototype Courier commencing at Airspeed's York facility during the following month, despite the design not being finalised until October 1932. The prototype was built and tested at a relatively high speed in order that the aircraft could be delivered to Cobham as soon as practical. In particular, the fabrication of its undercarriage had overwhelmingly needed original components that were designed and built internally due to
1452-464: The prototype Courier on an attempted flight to India on 24 September 1934, during which he successfully refuelled from a Handley Page W.10 while doing so; however, Cobham was compelled to conduct a forced landing at Malta on account of a broken throttle. Despite this outcome, the practicality of his aerial refuelling practices had been successfully proven, and would continue to be refined in subsequent years. Between 1933 and 1934, Airspeed manufactured
1496-524: The purchase from Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson, Ltd., of that firm's holding of Airspeed ordinary shares. Airspeed retained its identity as a separate company though as a wholly-owned subsidiary of de Havilland. Around 1943, presumably to reduce the risk of Luftwaffe bombing, a new dispersed design office was opened at Fairmile Manor in Cobham , Surrey; little is known of this establishment and nothing survives there today. Airspeed's most productive period
1540-411: The undercarriage generated considerable attention amongst the aviation press early on. Other aspects of the aircraft, such as its structural design, were relatively conventional. The wing's centre section was integral with the fuselage, while the outer wing's structure comprised a pair of spruce box spurs joined with ply former ribs. The wing had a fabric covering, aside from the leading edge ; while
1584-532: Was a great loss to Britain. Shute said that "admitting Air Ministry methods of doing business ... would be like introducing a maggot into an apple .. Better to stick to selling motor vehicles for cash to the War Office and the Admiralty who retained the normal methods of buying and selling." In June, 1940, formal announcement was made that the de Havilland Aircraft Co., Ltd., had completed negotiations for
1628-458: Was also concerns amongst Airspeed's board over the project; Lord Grimthorpe was pessimistic over the use of a retractable undercarriage, having allegedly been influenced by external detractors. However, Tiltman vigorously defended the value of the design choice, and was backed by several other board members, this the feature was retained. The arrangements between Cobham and Airspeed were confirmed in full during August 1932, leading to construction of
1672-460: Was briefly used for joyriding flights at Southend-on-Sea prior to being scrapped during December 1947. On 29 September 1934, G-ACSY of London, Scottish & Provincial Airways Ltd crashed at Shoreham, Kent , United Kingdom, killing all four people on board and injuring two on the ground. Data from British Civil Aircraft since 1919 General characteristics Performance Related lists Airspeed Ltd Airspeed Limited
1716-611: Was during the Second World War. The graceful, twin-engined trainer-cum-light transport aircraft known as the AS.10 Oxford had a production run exceeding 8,500. 3,800 AS51 and AS58 Horsa military gliders were built for the Royal Air Force and its allies. Many of these made one-way journeys into occupied France as part of the D-Day landings, and later the Netherlands for the Arnhem landing, towed from England behind aircraft such as
1760-400: Was established in 1931 to build aeroplanes in York , England, by A. H. Tiltman and Nevil Shute Norway (the aeronautical engineer and novelist, who used his forenames as his pen-name). The other directors were A. E. Hewitt, Lord Grimthorpe and Alan Cobham . Amy Johnson was also one of the initial subscribers for shares. Airspeed Ltd. was founded by Nevil Shute Norway (later to become
1804-558: Was fully merged with de Havilland who then cancelled further development of the Ambassador, although the Ambassador fleet continued in service with smaller airlines such as Dan-Air until 1971. The original York factory was demolished in November 2015. Maiden flight The maiden flight , also known as first flight , of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term
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1848-429: Was keen for the firm to commence another project. Prior to this, Airspeed's design team has exchanged several rough ideas for a conceptual aircraft suitable for use by private owners; it was asserted that, in comparison with existing models on the market, a modern aircraft for the role ought to be more useful and spacious, with sufficient capacity to accommodate five or six people at a time. Early drafts of what would become
1892-541: Was primarily purchased by civilian customers, being used as an early airliner , racing aircraft and flying testbed. It was also used as a communications aircraft by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War . Only a single aircraft flew briefly in the postwar era. As the development effort on the Airspeed Ferry airliner was drawing to a close during 1931, company co-founder Hessell Tiltman
1936-409: Was underway, leading to a provisional contract being issued for a single aircraft on 6 May 1932. While Cobham and his benefactors were willing to pay £10,000 for this initial aircraft, including its single Armstrong Siddeley Lynx engine, they also insisted on a demanding timetable, including the aircraft's delivery by 6 April 1933, along with stringent penalty clauses if development fell behind. There
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